Apple introduces iAd Gallery app four days late

When next someone asks you, "Hey, what is the top app I should put on my new iPhone? Can you recommend something that will be insanely useful, offer lots of long-term functionality and really show off my device?"

Consider how much you dislike this person. Then, if they really deserve it, recommend Apple's new iAd Gallery app.

This free application offers "Great ads. On-demand. In your pocket." The application allows users to view and interact with Apple's stable of paid advertisements, as if nothing less would be sufficient to demonstrate our complete lack of a life.

This app is really only appropriate for the most, uh, loyal Apple fan. Of course, it's also a way for Apple to potentially nudge/guilt hesitant iAd buyers into joining the club.

That's because iAd Gallery may help sell Apple's fledgling (and some say struggling) service to a broader market. What purpose does this app serve (other than to make people laugh out loud) if it's not to let advertisers review existing ads before dipping their own toes into the water? Sure, existing advertisers can see their ads playing on a real live iDevice, but that's not enough motivation to release a whole appful of them.

The advertisements in iAd Gallery do appear to be broader and more comprehensive than those you may encounter randomly in ad-supported free applications. This wider coverage may allow those potential advertisers to help plan their own campaigns.